Sealing nut



March 11, 1947. E, M MOREHQUSE 2,417,262

SEALING NUT Filed June 25, 1945 Faq-21E I 23 f 3mm arrangement oi partsPatented Mar. 11, 1947 UNITED STATE SALING NUT Eugene M. Morehouse,Tujunga, Calif., assigner to Y tion of California# Application June,

g 3 Claims; (Cl. {i5-36) 4 This invention has for one of its objects theprovision of a nut which is enclosed in a substan# tially iiat,button-like Asealing member or jacket oi Iresilient rubber,syntheticrubber or the like and constructed. and `arrangedto `ior'mafluidtight seal around the screw-receiving/opening in a lmember rtowhich the nut is applied aswell as to sealV the nut and. screw thereinagainst ,exlposure to uids and substances which wculdcorrode orotherwise damagesuchparts, thusmak ning the nui-,well suitedto yuse ,intanksand the like, also for electrical connection uses wh'erefi't yisindicatedl that the nutand portion ofthe screw therein should beinsulated. d i l Another object ci this inventio'n'is,toprovide ajacketed or rubber-covered nuty which is small, compact and subject tothe same uses Vas. the ordinary nut but with the following advantages:

1. The jacket or covering yieldabl'e. and affords. somewhat odacushioningaction.v

l2. The operator itself and no metal `part is `exposedYV in handling andapplying the nut unit, thereby avoiding .yin-

jury of the fingers and scratching of the surface of the member to whichthe unit is applied.. 3. The jacket is constructed in oneform ,ci .theinvention so that .the nuts are replaceable, wherebyy nuts toyaccommode-tev.screwsl or"v different diameters be applied tc asinglejacket of given dimensions.

4. The use of which makes it possible `to provide a compara.- tivelysmall jacket oi minimum thickness and thus conserve the jacket material,also reinforces the relatively flexible jacket and lends desiredrigidity to the nut without depriving it of the desired yielding andresilientaction. With the foregoing objects. inv view, with such otherobjects .and

` together advantages as may subsequently appear, the invention'residesin the parts and in the combination, constructionland hereinafterdescribed and claimed, and illustrated by way ofexample intheaccompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a cross sectional view of a nut enclosing jacket of resilientmaterial embodying this invention;

Fig. 2 is a cross sectional View of a jacketed nut made in accordancewith this invention;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view similar to Fie. 2 show ing one manner of useof the nut;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary bottom plan view of the nut unit shown in Figs.1, 2 and 3;

Fig. 5 isa cross sectional view of a modified form of the nut unit;

Adel Precision i vP does not have to touchthenut a flat resilient sheetvmetal nut i' rcductsCorp., a corpora- 1945, serial ivo. einem Fig. 6 isa sectional view oi a modied form of nutunit hereof as applied to( holdtwo members together; v

Fig'ris a top pianview of the nur unitarie assembly as shown in Fig. 6.As, shown in Figs. l, 2, 3 anda, one embodiment of 'my inventioncomprises a button-likeujacket member 3 formed of yieldabl'e,elastic'an'd resilient material such as rubber or syntheticrubberandhollowed out to'prcvide a nut-receiving" pocket "9 access to which ishad through an opening-|11 and short 'slots or notches Il extending fromopposite :sides of said opening in the bottom wall ofthe jacket.'l l 11nthe present instance the jacketv is circular and at on its inner sideand convex and rounded on'its outer side. The pocket 9 is substantiallyrectangular' and centered in the jacket forreception of arectangularsheet metaifnutflz; This nutmay be inserted into the pocketbybeing forced through the opening llandfslotsll; The jacket materialvadjacent the opening If will stretch to allow the 'nut to be insertedand will then spring back into position toenclose ands'- Icurel'y holdthenut inplace.

"It is .toy be' understood that the jacket' and nut need not be`circular and rectangular respectively vand can be of vany shapeprovided they make possible the construction and functions hereinjsetforth. y The nut l2 as' here shown is formed of aplatelikepiece ofresilient sheet metal having side-byside elongated bridgepcrtions i3struck out there; from and arranged to resiliently grip andhav'escrew-threaded engagement with va screw M as shownin Fig'. 3. therebeing ascrew-receiving opening l5 in opposed edges ci thebridgefportions through which the screw is t'urned.. This openingregisters with the openingy lll in the bottom wall of the jacketwhichlatter opening'is of less diameter vthan vthe lengthand width`lof'thenut.` j v Fig. 3 shows one application of Vthenut unit hereof whereinvtwo members l5 are securedto one another by means of the unit and thescrew I4 passed through registering openings I1 in said members andturned in threaded engagement with the nut l2. As the screw is tightenedthe jacket is distorted and the bottom wall thereof is compressedbetween the nut I2 and the adjacent member I6 and forms an annularduid-tight seal around the screw and the opening in said adjacentmember. The marginal portions of the jacket in being relatively thin andprojecting outwardly from the margin of the nut will yield Vandinsulated sealing nut which luncovered nut 3 readily to assure a goodsealing action. The outer wall of the jacket will yield outwardly if thescrew is brought into contact therewith as shown in Fig. 3, but will becovered by the jacket as the screw is of a selected length so that itwill not pierce the jacket. Y

In addition to forming a seal around the screw and the screw opening inthe adjacent member I5, the jacket acts as a yieldable andvibrationabsorbing cushion, also insulates and encloses the; nut andthat portion of the screw extending through the nut. The smooth convexouter surface of the jacketed nut projects but slightly from the memberon which it is seated and no metalv parts or other parts of the unit areexposed or become obstructions. The resilient locking action of the nutl2 assures a tight connection of the screw and nut preventing looseningthereof.

As shown in Figs. 5, 6 and 7, a'modied form of the jacketed nut hereoflcomprises a circular button-like member or jacket ie of resilientrubber or the like and of substantially the same shape as the jacket texcept that it is formed with a concaved underside 26.. In this form ofthe invention a nut 2l identical with the nut l2 is embedded tightly inthe jacket by molding the jacket around the-nut, there being an axialscrewreoeiving opening 22 in the molded jacket,r member extending: but ascrew 23 may be turned in the nut asv shown inFigs. 6 and 7 to securemembers 2d together.

In applying the: nut unit shown in Figs. 5, 6 and 7, it is placed withits concaved underside against ,one of the members 2d in position toalign theY opening 22 Withscrew-receiving openings 25 in the memberslli. This form of nut unit hasall of the other functions and advantagesofthe rst described nut unit except the provision for replacing the nut.Y

It should be noted that while I have shown a fiat sheet metal nut in theseveral forms of nut units hereof, other types of nuts may be used ifdesired.

In this connection it should be noted that in both forms of theinvention the jackets taper .from thev thicker central portions thereofto comparatively thin marginal portions projecting beyond the nut andwhich make the jackets quite iiexible whereby said margins will bereadily compressed to form a fluid-tight seal.

It will now be apparent that I have provided as a new article ofmanufacture, a cushioned is inexpensive, small, compact and constructedand arranged to make it subject to many applications and uses where anordinary uncovered metal nut would not be desirable, if not prohibitive,especially in tanks for iiuid which would corrode or ill eiect an andscrew and where a cushioning and yielding contact of the nut unit isdesired or where electrical connections are to be made and insulation ofthe .nut is preferable, as well as atany place where it is desired toprovide a duid-tight seal around the screw and. nut and part waytherethrough whereby .it is oi greater serve as a cover and screwopening in the member to Which the nut unit is applied.

While I have shown and described specific embodiments of my invention, Ido not limit myself to the exact details of construction set forth, andthe invention embraces such changes, modifications and equivalents ofthe parts and their formation and arrangement as come Within, thepurview of the appended claims.

I claim:

, 1. In a sealing nut, a button-like member of yieldable and resilientmaterial such as rubber orthe like axially dimensioned so that themarginal portions thereof are relatively thin and flexible, and a nutenclosed within said member, there being a screw-receiving openingextending into said member whereby a screw may be turned therein tothreadedly engage said nut, said button-like member having a pockettherein for reception of the nut whereby the nut is replaceable.

2. In a sealing nutV which includes a rigid nut held within abutton-like jacket member formed of elastic and yieldable material suchas rubber or the like, the improvement which includes4 an axialdimensioning of said jacket member so that overall thicknessintermediate margins thereof and has relatively thin andflexible'marginal portions extending outwardly from the margins ofthenut, there being an opening extending into said member affording thethreaded application of a screw to said nut, said marginal portionsdisposed to form a seal around the screw on an object through whichv thescrew is applied to the nut, said jacket member being imperforate on itsouter surface and operating to cover the nut and sore 3. A sealing meansfor a sheet metal nut comprising a button-like member of yieldable andresilient material such as rubber or the like axially dimensioned sothat the marginal portions thereof are relatively thin and exible, saidmember having a cavity therein adapted to embrace and retain said nut,said cavity having an opening to an exterior surface of said memberthrough which opening said sheet metal nut may be inserted in saidcavity said opening serving additionally as a means of access for ascrew threaded element for engagement with the thread-engaging surfaceof said nut, i the opposite surface of said member being imperforate andbeing eiective to seal for a nut and screw associated therewith.

EUGENE M. MOREHOUSE. y

REFERENCE S CITED The following references are of reco-rdm the le ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Mar. 6; 1945

